TAN: Maina Arrives

Had a bit of a sleep in passed my normal 6 a.m. wakeup. Enjoyed a hike around the tide pools at the end of the island. Saw loads more marine life than either of the previous visits to the area. There was a bounty of starfish in all shapes and colors as well as some sea slugs. The biggest excitement of the morning was finding a stonefish. Not something to tangle with, as contact with one is almost always fatal within a matter of hours. Glad I have a healthy respect for nature and didn’t feel a need to poke at it.

The stonefish that became the topic of a number of conversations.

Starfish in a amazing variety of colors.

After a bite of breakfast, all of us went back out in search of crabs and starfish. Sandrine slipped and fell early on in our search and went away nursing a scuffed elbow. She re-emerged as we were setting up a photo shoot with some starfish on the sand.

Star Shoes.

Our morning’s work done, I went back to my banda to work on the computer, read and get some relaxing in. Went a little overboard with the relaxing and ended up a little late for dinner. While I was dead to the world, a family with six kids had arrived. One of the children was particularly trying and unpleasant. Did some more work after lunch and emerged in the late afternoon to take some more photos. There was a trickle of messages from Maina the whole afternoon. Each of the messages pushed the arrival time for he and his friends back further and further. Eventually we got what appeared to be one that meant something, mentioning an arrival time of 6:30 p.m. The time came and went and a bit later we got a frantic call that they seemed to have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Chantal’s directions had been a little sketchy but the situation was corrected and they found the Fish Camp all right. A quick boat ride in the dark brought Maina, Tessa, Catherine and Josephine to the island.

Vlad with a piece of palm driftwood that looked like some sort of musical instrument. The sun sets on another beautiful day in paradise.

After the new guests were settled and had imbibed a round of drinks, dinner was served on the beach. The conversation was interrupted by incessant calls from Maina’s girlfriend Anne Marie who had to work and could not make it. Dinner was an interesting affair, starting off with a delicious peanut soup that Vlad’s girlfriend Prudence made. There was not enough soup to go around so a couple of other starters were circulated. The main course also caused some confusion with not enough steak being available for the carnivores. The veggie entrée was a bed of cauliflower smothered in cheese. I enjoyed the rice and carrots that were served with it. Maina went off with the Kenyan ladies and the rest of us headed for bed.

Chantal relaxing with Tiger, her new feline friend. Maina by lamplight.